Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Helps Open Janie’s House To Help Abused Girls

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler provided some sweet emotions in the Memphis area Monday as he snipped through his signature scarves to help open Janie’s House.

The renovated house on the 82-acre Youth Villages campus in Bartlett will be a home for dozens of girls each year who have faced neglect and abuse. Youth Villages is a nationwide organization to help children deal with a wide range of emotional, behavioral and mental problems, according to their website.

The home is named after Aerosmith’s 1989 hit “Janie’s Got a Gun,” about a girl who seeks revenge on her abusive father.

During the ceremony, Tyler said that “to help one girl” would make him happy. He added that while he’s used to accolades from the public after 50 years of touring with Aerosmith, “This does my heart and my soul good. This is real.”

Tyler contributed about half a million dollars to Youth Villages through his program, Janie’s Fund. He also designed all the artwork in the building.

“We wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for Steven and his dream of Janie’s Fund,” said Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages.

Janie’s House will serve 14 girls at any given time, about 26-30 annually, Youth Villages’ marketing and communications director Crissy Lintner said. This is the second Janie’s House to open in the country.